Bayoubuzz Note: For decades, Russia has been considered our adversary. For decades, the FBI has been considered a strong bulwark against crime, corruption and foreign attacks against American interests.

During the past year, since the candidacy of now-President Donald Trump, the way some in the country view Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin and even the FBI has changed.

Who is Maria Butina and why was she indicted by the Special Counsel, Robert Mueller? How was the NRA involved as cited in the indictment? Does this indictment relate to the alleged Russian collusion claims being made against team Trump?

Yesterday, I discussed these and many other issues with Grant Stern, a mortage broker and a very popular investigative writer who has a significant following on social media. He also is Editor-at-Large for Occupy Democrats, We discussed a variety of issues in the near-one hour Facebook/Twitter/YouTube Live interview.

Endangered species, who needs them? They’re lots of other animals. Threatened species are not endangered, yet, so what’s the fuss there? Both impede progress. Climate change, on the off chance it’s real, won’t wipe out entire populations on earth while we’re still alive, so don’t fret when carbon caps get lifted. The banks made honest mistakes in the past, which they’re unlikely to repeat, so everybody’s money is safe again, and deregulation is good there, too. The sick, about time, can stand on their own two feet instead of lounging about in government paid wheelchairs, obviating the need for universal health care. And, hats off to the generous Iowa hog and soybean farmers who are supporting the economy by going bankrupt. Best news of all, however, the Russians mean us no harm.

Has the news media and many Republicans such as John McCain and others over-reacted to the latest controversy surrounding President Donald Trump involving Russia?

On Tuesday, Trump announced during the middle of an Oval Office meeting and in front of the news media, that he called President Vladimir Putin and congratulated him on his election victory. Shortly afterwards, John McCain slammed the President for doing so. Others followed.

If there’s a take-away from Michael Wolff’s book, “Fire and Fury,” it has to be that Donald Trump did not collude with Russia to win the 2016 election. Since none of Trump’s motivations appears to have been particularly altruistic, it’s clear, if Wolff’s theory is correct, that this unlikely candidate would have sought help from any power, foreign or domestic, to win anything. He’d rather have lost, like king in “The Mouse that Roared” who declared war on America in the belief that a loss would trigger foreign aid sufficient to bail out his tiny, broke kingdom.

As the White House waits to see which, and how many of its present or former, employees made Robert Mueller’s indictment roll, consider Mueller’s end game. It isn’t Trump, per se, though many would hope otherwise. It’s Russia. The FBI, which Mueller once headed, has always been at the forefront of combatting communism in America.

In the past week, there has been a cottage industry developing, lead by Donald Trump and Fox News, accusing the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton of colluding with the Russians because they funded the now-infamous Steele dossier. Yet, these accusers are silent or claim not to be bothered when it comes to the events related to Donald Trump Jr and that now infamous Trump tower meeting.